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Gov't decision to return to one summer semester draws mixed reactions

By Ana Ibáñez Prieto - Aug 13,2017 - Last updated at Aug 13,2017

AMMAN — Students have voiced mixed reactions towards a decision by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to return to the one summer semester plan.

The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research on Tuesday announced its decision to cancel all plans related to the licensing of two-summer semesters, instructing universities to start implementing a single summer semester on the calendar for the 2017/2018 academic year.

However, the new summer semester will last for 10 weeks instead of eight, and the students will be able to register for a total of 12 credit hours in the summer course.

The change has been widely discussed by students, who have been sharing their views over social media.

The ministry’s decision is a “game-changer” for Shurooq Awwad, a psychology student at the University of Jordan (UJ) who was hoping to graduate next year.

“I am against this change,” the student told The Jordan Times in a recent interview, explaining that she was planning to register for 18 credit hours in the summer of 2018 in order to graduate before the fall semester.

“I don’t think it’s worth it to be attending school in the summer if I won’t be able to finish my degree,” she complained.

Balqees Majdi, also a student at UJ, faces a similar situation. “I was supposed to be graduating in the summer semester next year,” she said, adding “but now, I will only be able to take four courses and I will have to wait for the next school year to finish my education.”

“Nonetheless, I think this is a great change when it comes to the students who are not in their last year,” she agreed, pointing out that summer courses are too short to go over the full material. 

“Summer courses don’t leave enough time for the students to process all the information,” the student explained, adding that “everything happens in a rush, and professors have to select a portion of the material because it’s impossible to teach all of it”. 

Azza Habashneh, a nutrition student at the Hashemite University, sees the change positively: “I think this is a great decision. It is great to know that we will be able to take 12 credit hours while keeping a more relaxed schedule.”

 

The three-month summer course was “just so exhausting”, she complained, saying “I would reach the point where I would feel like my brain is breaking down, not being able to focus at all.”

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